This section is reprinted from the Letters page of The Irish Catholic, March 23, 2006.

Sir

The recent editorial comment “Rights of Priests” (The Irish Catholic, 9 March 2006) is misleading in relation to the complex issue of the circumstances leading to a Bishop or congregational leader asking a priest to voluntarily step aside from ministry.

The editorial made reference to the policy of “automatically standing down a priest accused of child abuse,” and further on it references that “the policy of automatic suspension of priests also needs to be ended.”

The reality of the situation is somewhat different. Within the Archdiocese of Dublin all child protection concerns are examined according to “Our Children: Our Church, Child Protection Policies and Procedures for the Catholic Church in Ireland.” These procedures are fully compatible with the requirements of the state as set out in “Children First: National Guidelines for the Protection and Welfare of Children, 1999.”

In the event of an allegation in respect of a Priest of the Archdiocese of Dublin, the matter is referred to the Director of Child Protection who meets with the complainant and takes details of the complaint. The complainant is also advised of the support services which are available including ongoing contact with the Diocesan Support Co-ordinator and access to counselling services.

The Director of Child Protection would make other initial enquiries which would include establishing from records whether there are other child protection concerns in respect of the Priest that are previously known to the Archdiocese. In addition, the Priest’s record of appointments would be examined to ascertain that he was resident in, or a visitor to, the location at the time.

In accordance with the guidelines, the purpose of these initial enquiries is for the Archdiocese of Dublin Director of Child Protection to establish whether or not there are “reasonable grounds for concern” that a child has been, is being, or is at risk of abuse.

In the event that the Director of Child Protection establishes such grounds for concern, then the Archbishop is advised that the appropriate course of action is to formally refer the matter to the civil authorities, namely An Garda Síochána and the Health Services Executive.

The Director of Child Protection notifies the civil authorities and requests an interagency meeting to discuss the grounds for concern. At this meeting there are discussions which look at the child protection issues arising from the allegation or suspicion of child abuse with a view to ensuring that no child is exposed to unnecessary risk. This includes a discussion as to the manner and timing by which the accused priest is informed of the allegation by the archbishop. In addition there is also discussion as to whether or not it is in the best interests of child protection for the priest to continue to exercise his ministry pending further investigations.

Following this meeting the Director of Child Protection advises the Archbishop as to the discussions that took place and makes recommendations as to the protective measures that are recommended whilst investigations continue. For example, the issues of advising the priest and in relation to whether or not “stepping aside” is appropriate.

In the event that the recommendations include that the priest should be advised as soon as possible and be asked to step aside”, the archbishop will arrange to meet the priest as soon as possible. He will inform the priest that an allegation has been received and that the matter is being dealt with in accordance with the Church policies and procedures for the protection of children. At this meeting the priest will be advised of the substance of the allegation and his rights to both civil and canonical representation. Support and pastoral care services are made available at this point. The priest may be asked to voluntarily refrain from exercising public ministry for the duration of the investigation of the allegation. He is then asked to meet with the Director of Child Protection who will interview him in relation to the allegation.

The matter is then kept under review by further interagency meetings with the civil authorities. In addition the matter is kept under review by the Archdiocese of Dublin Child Protection Advisory Panel, which considers the allegations made against Dublin Diocesan clergy. In this way, the matter can be investigated thoroughly and drawn to a conclusion as swiftly as is appropriate.

The recently published guidelines seek to provide clear procedures for dealing with all allegations, and to ensure that the respective rights of both complainant and accused are vindicated. This is not an easy balance to keep. A very small number of malicious allegations have been made, and many Priests fear that they may be the subject of future malicious allegations. These fears and anxieties must continue to be addressed through dialogue and education.

The new guidelines in operation in this Archdiocese go a considerable way to ensuring that no priest automatically steps down. A priest will only be asked to step aside from public ministry on foot of established grounds for concern and after the recommendations of the civil authorities are taken into account.

This happens at the beginning of the investigative process. The priest is asked to step aside in order for the best interest of the child and the common good to prevail. Further investigations may determine (again in an interagency context) that the allegation is unfounded. In such circumstances the civil authorities, the Diocesan Director of Child Protection and the Child protection Advisory Panel would recommend that there should be no impediment to a return to public ministry, and that his good name should be fully restored.

Mr Phil Garland

Director of Child Protection

Archdiocese of Dublin